What it's about: After her Mexican immigrant father was diagnosed with schizophrenia, journalist Jean Guerrero set out to investigate his claims that he was being targeted by the CIA, digging into her family history to traverse borders both tangible and inexplicable.

For fans of: dysfunctional family memoirs like Jeanette Walls' The Glass Castle and Mary Karr's The Liars' Club.

Book buzz: Crux is the winner of the PEN/FUSION Emerging Writers Prize.

What it's about: the life of Nur Jahan (1577-1645), an aristocratic and politically savvy Muslim woman who rose to prominence serving as co-sovereign of the Mughal empire of India with her husband, Emperor Jahangir.

Notable achievements: Considered the true ruler of the empire, throughout her reign Nur Jahan minted currency, designed gardens, palaces, and tombs that influenced her stepson's design of the Taj Mahal, and once led men into battle "sitting atop a war elephant and armed with a musket" to rescue her kidnapped husband.

What it's about: On the eve of her 40th birthday, Glynnis MacNicol grappled with her ambivalence over society's expectations for women of a certain age (getting married, having children) and feeling like a failure for not wanting those things.

What it's about: Marine sergeant Thomas J. Brennan and war photographer Finbarr O'Reilly met in 2010 during a Taliban attack, striking up a friendship after O'Reilly photographed Brennan's injuries.

What sets it apart: In this ode to the healing power of friendship, alternating chapters recount the men's battle-weary postwar life, providing unique perspectives on post-traumatic stress disorder and the will to survive.